A state championship coach and 12 outstanding athletes, including a set of sisters and four Major League Baseball players, make up the members of the 2024 induction class into the Norwich Free Academy Athletics Hall of Fame.

The new members will be celebrated at a banquet Friday, Nov. 22, at Lake of Isles. The event, which begins at 5 p.m., is open to the public. Tickets are $75 and can be ordered at nfawildcats.org/hof

“This class represents the very best in NFA athletic history,” NFA athletic director Roy Wentworth said. “The accomplishments of this group are inspiring on a number of levels and continue to show the success our athletes have while on campus and beyond.”

Wentworth said the committee will select induction classes in 2025 and 2026, helping to fill the gap created by the pandemic. Following the 2026 induction, a new class will be enshrined every two years.

The members of the 2024 Hall of Fame class include:

• Ed Walczak (Class of 1934, honored posthumously) — In addition to playing football and baseball at NFA, Walczak also played in the Norwich City League for Thamesville, pitching several no-hitters. After enlisting in the Air Force in 1940, Walczak played in the Panama Canal Zone League and then in the Central American Olympics in El Salvador. After the war, he attended a professional tryout in Boston before joining the Philadelphia Phillies, where he started at second base for the final month of the 1945 season.

• John Iovino (coach) — Iovino led the NFA baseball program for 28 years (1979-2007) and amassed more than 300 wins, including three Eastern Connecticut Conference Large titles, three ECC tournament titles and the 2003 CIAC Class LL state championship. His 2003 team was voted the No. 1 team in the state by the Hartford Courant and the New Haven Register. He was named Coach of the Year that season by the Register, the Courant and The Day. Iovino was twice named (2003, 2008) the Connecticut High School Baseball Coach of the Year. Iovino is also a member of the Norwich Sports Hall of Fame, the Central Connecticut State University Hall of Fame and the Danbury High School Athletics Hall of Fame.

• Andy Papp (Class of 1982) — Papp earned nine letters in three sports (football, indoor track, outdoor track). In indoor track, he twice earned all-league and all-state honors, earning the conference title in the long jump and the 300 meters, in which he established a school record. In outdoor track, he set the school record for most points in a season (206). He received all-conference honors twice and all-state honors once. He was the CIAC Class LL and State Open champion in the 300 hurdles and league champion in 300 hurdles, triple jump and long jump. Following NFA, he competed in indoor and outdoor track at Old Dominion University.

• Linda Grant-Smith (Class of 1984) — A four-year member of the cross country and track teams, Grant-Smith wasted no time making an impact as she set the school record in the 3,000 meters her freshman year. She broke her own 3,000 record as a junior, the same year she set the school record for the mile. In her senior season, NFA finished 10-0 and placed second in the State Open.

• Greg Keith (Class of 1986) — During his time playing basketball at NFA, Keith established records for most points in a game (45) and most field goals in a game (19). He was named first team all-state, first team All-New England and he earned honorable mention honors as a Converse and McDonald’s All-American. Keith began his Division I college career at Wake Forest before earning two letters at Fairfield. He played professionally in Portugal and for the Connecticut Skyhawks in the USBL. Keith officiated high school basketball for 28 years, working seven state championship games.

• Shaena Mainville Malone (Class of 1999) — A winner of 11 letters in four years, Mainville Malone played soccer, gymnastics and softball. She earned All-American honors in soccer, all-conference honors in softball and she qualified and competed at the state and New England level in gymnastics. She graduated with the most stolen bases in softball history. The gymnastics team had an incredible run during her career, winning four ECC titles, three state championships and two New England titles. Following NFA, Mainville Malone played Division I softball at Central Connecticut State University.

• Mark Jones (Class of 2001) — A three-year basketball starter for the Wildcats, Jones was recognized by the Hartford Courant and the New Haven Register as the state player of the year during his senior season. In all, he received two all-state selections, three All-ECC selections and he was recognized as a Street & Smith’s Honorable Mention All-American. After graduating as NFA’s all-time leading scorer, Jones played at Dayton, appearing in the 2003 and 2004 NCAA tournaments. Jones has continued a successful career in basketball as the head coach at St. Bernard, where he has led the Saints to six ECC tournament championships and the 2023 CIAC Division II state championship.

• Kendal Mainville (Class of 2002) — As a four-year member of the gymnastics team, Mainville shined in an unprecedented era of success. During her freshman season, she was part of the team that finished 20-0, earning their fourth straight ECC title and state championship. That trend continued and Mainville ended her career with four straight state and conference championships. Individually, she was a conference and state champion all-around and on balance beam. Mainville was selected twice as The Day’s All-Area Gymnast of the Year.

• Kristin Kropp Scheele (Class of 2002) — A nine-time letter winner, Kropp Scheele played tennis, basketball, cross country and softball. She was All-ECC and all-state in tennis, finishing second in the state singles tournament. She was a two-time all-state pick in softball, also earning All-ECC honors three times. She was a member of two state basketball championship teams, three ECC tournament-winning basketball teams and one softball ECC championship team. Following NFA, she played Division I softball at Central Connecticut State University.

• Andrew Carignan (Class of 2004) — While he earned all-state honors in 2004 for soccer, it was baseball where Carignan excelled. He earned all-state honors in baseball in 2003 and 2004 and was named the Gatorade Connecticut Baseball Player of the Year in 2004. He was a member of the 2003 CIAC Class LL state championship team. Following NFA, he pitched collegiately at North Carolina, which was the College World Series runner-up in 2006 and 2007. Carignan was drafted by the Oakland A’s in the 5th round in 2007, making his Major League debut in 2011.

• Eric Campbell (Class of 2005) — A four-year starter on the baseball team, Campbell finished his career as the all-time leader in hits, home runs, average, stolen bases, runs, walks and at-bats. While at NFA, Campbell was named to Baseball America’s preseason All-America and All-Northeast first teams. He also received all-conference and New Haven Register all-state accolades. Following NFA, Campbell played at Boston College, and was an eighth-round draft choice of the New York Mets in 2008, making his Major League debut in 2014.

• Susie Piotrkowski (Class of 2006) — A three-sport athlete at NFA, Piotrkowski earned eight varsity letters while competing in soccer, basketball and lacrosse. She won a combined eight ECC regular-season and tournament titles, including four ECC tournament championships in lacrosse. During her senior year, she was given the Charles P. Hamblen Award, which is given to the outstanding senior female athlete. Piotrkowski played Division I lacrosse at New Hampshire. She currently works at ESPN, serving as the Vice President of espnW.

• Dominic Leone (Class of 2009) — During his NFA career, Leone received numerous accolades for his accomplishments in baseball. He was the No. 1 high school prospect in Connecticut in 2009, his senior year, and was twice named all-state by the New Haven Register. Following his NFA career, Leone played for Clemson and was selected by the Seattle Mariners in the 16th round of the Major League Baseball Draft. Leone made his Major League debut in 2014 and has since played in more than 400 career games for nine teams. He currently plays for the Chicago White Sox.